Sunan Kalijaga (born Raden Mas Said; 1450–1513) was one of the "nine saints" of Javanese Islam ( Wali Sanga). The "Kalijaga" title was derived from an orchard known as "Kalijaga" in

Cirebon Cirebon (, formerly rendered Cheribon or Chirebon in English) is a port city on the northern coast of the Indonesian island of Java. It is the only coastal city of West Java, located about 40 km west of the provincial border with Central J ...

. Other accounts suggest that the name derives from his hobby of submerging himself in ''Kali'' ("river" in Javanese). Others note that the name Kalijaga derived its nature from the Arabic notion of ''qadli dzaqa'' which means "holy leader" in the

sultanate Sultan (; ', ) is a Royal and noble ranks, position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". La ...

Names

Sunan Kalijaga was known by the following names and titles: *Raden Said *Lokajaya *Syaikh Melaya *Raden Abdurrahman *Pangeran (prince) Tuban *Ki Dalang Sida Brangti *Ki Dalang Bengkok *Ki Dalang Kumendung *Ki Unehan *Pangeran (prince) Santi Kusuma

Life

Sunan Kalijaga was a close friend of

Sunan Gunungjati Sunan Gunungjati (1448–1568) was one of the '' Wali Songo'' or nine saints of Islam revered in Indonesia for the propagation of Islam as the dominant religion in the region. He founded the Sultanate of Banten and the Sultanate of Cirebon on ...

and is said to have lived to the age of 100. He witnessed the downfall of

Majapahit Majapahit (; (eastern and central dialect) or (western dialect)), also known as Wilwatikta (; ), was a Javanese people, Javanese Hinduism, Hindu-Buddhism, Buddhist thalassocracy, thalassocratic empire in Southeast Asia based on the island o ...

, the kingdoms of Demak,

Banten Banten (, , Pegon alphabet, Pegon: بنتن) is the westernmost Provinces of Indonesia, province on the island of Java, Indonesia. Its capital city is Serang and its largest city is Tangerang. The province borders West Java and the Special Capi ...

, and

Pajang The Kingdom of Pajang or Sultanate of Pajang (; 1568–1586) was a short-lived Muslim state in Java. It was established by Adiwijaya or Jaka Tingkir, Lord of Boyolali, after a civil war and was a successor to Sultanate of Demak. Adiwijaya cla ...

in 1546. Among his missionary activities (''

dawah ' (, , "invitation", also spelt , , , or ) is the act of inviting people to Islam. The plural is () or (). Preachers who engage in dawah are known as da'i. Etymology literally means "issuing a summons" or "making an invitation". Gramma ...

''), he built two

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

s, Masjid Agung Cirebon and Masjid Agung Demak. His main mentor was

Sunan Bonang Sunan Bonang (born Raden Makdum Ibrahim) was one of the nine Wali Songo (lit. "Nine Saints"), along with his father Sunan Ampel and his brother Sunan Drajat who are said to have established Islam as the dominant religion amongst the Javanes ...

, another of the ''Wali Sanga''. Kalijaga's beliefs and teaching are more sufistic than

salaf Salaf (, "ancestors" or "predecessors"), also often referred to with the honorific expression of al-salaf al-ṣāliḥ (, "the pious predecessors"), are often taken to be the first three generations of Muslims. This comprises companions of the ...

, applying arts and culture as a medium for his ''dawah''. He was also tolerant of local tradition. His

exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (philosophy), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern us ...

from the Quranic perspective led him to believe that people will keep away from ''dakwah'' if their personality is questioned. In this premise, one should consider a step-by-step approach to his people by the principle of following yet influencing. To him, if Islam was truly or fully understood, then people would gradually give up their old habits that contravened Islamic teachings. This method can be seen in Indonesian artworks, particularly in carvings, shadow puppets (

wayang kulit ( ) is a traditional form of shadow puppetry originally found in the cultures of Java and Bali in Indonesia. In a performance, the puppet figures are rear-projected on a taut linen screen with a coconut oil (or electric) light. The (shadow ...

gamelan Gamelan (; ; , ; ) is the traditional musical ensemble, ensemble music of the Javanese people, Javanese, Sundanese people, Sundanese, and Balinese people, Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussion instrument, per ...

(Javanese traditional musical performance), and singing. From this idea, he popularized ''Baju Takwa'' (a traditional dress custom for Indonesian Moslem), Sekaten (a festivity), and Grebeg Maulud, amongst others. Sunan Kalijaga was buried in Kadilangu southeast of Demak.

''Babad Tanah Jawi''

In the '' Babad Tanah Jawi'', a chronicle of large Javanese manuscripts, there are no formal signs of Sunan Kalijaga's conversion to Islam so it is not clear if Kalijaga was already Muslim at the time of his "conversion". In this legend, he is said to be the son of Tumenggung Wilatikta, and in the service of the

empire, and Kalijaga whose religion is unspecified but has the Arabic name "Said". Following gambling losses, Said resorts to highway robbery on the north coast of Java.

one day passes and is pulled up by Said. Sunan Bonang suggests it would be better for Said to rob a person who will later pass dressed in blue with a red hibiscus behind his ear. Three days later, this person passes and is Bonang in disguise. Said attacks, but Bonang turns himself into four persons, traumatising Said such that he becomes an ascetic. He takes the name "Kalijaga", becomes a

wali The term ''wali'' is most commonly used by Muslims to refer to a saint, or literally a "friend of God".John Renard, ''Friends of God: Islamic Images of Piety, Commitment, and Servanthood'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008); John ...

, and marries the sister of

Sunan Giri Sunan Giri (also called Raden Paku or Joko Samudro), and Muhammad Ainul Yakin (born 1442 CE in Blambangan, which is now Banyuwangi) is considered one of the Wali Sanga (revered saints of Islam) in Indonesia. His family is from Hussani Sayid, ...

Legacy

Kalijaga has been remembered as a quintessential example of the perceived flexibility of Indonesian Muslims, with anthropologist

Clifford Geertz Clifford James Geertz (; August 23, 1926 – October 30, 2006) was an American anthropologist who is remembered mostly for his strong support for and influence on the practice of symbolic anthropology and who was considered "for three decades&n ...

stating that he was seen as "malleable, tentative, syncretistic, and, most significantly of all, multivoiced".

References

*Sunyoto, Agus (2014). ''Atlas Wali Songo: Buku Pertama yang Mengungkap Wali Songo Sebagai Fakta Sejarah''. 6th edition. Depok: Pustaka IIMaN.

External links